Method of dyeing shearlings and the like



Patented Apr. 15, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN G. SHOEMAKER, OF SOUTH ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO A. G. LAWRENCE LEATHER COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION- OF MAINE METHOD OF DYEING SHEABLINGS AND THE LIKE N'o Drawing.

The present invention relates to pelts or fur-bearing skins and more particularly to the dyeing of the fur thereof;

It is often desirable to change the color or appearance of the hair or fur of skins in order to secure more pleasing or practical colors than that imparted by nature. For example, wool skinsor shearlings, as they are commonly called, are a warm, serviceable andinexpensive material for coats or other Wearing apparel. The natural color of the wool, however, is found objectionable on account of its lack of variety or shade, and the ease with which it is soiled or discolored.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a method or process of dyeing the hair or fur of skins, such as wool skins or shearlings or other analogous material, whereby difierent colors and tones may be secured not only on the surface of the fur or wool, but also at different depths or portions of the length of the hairs so that when the fur or Wool is opened or parted, a difierent color or shade is brought to view.

To the above end the present invention consists in the method or process and in the resulting product hereinafterij described and more particularly defined in the claims. T

The present invention is described as commercially practiced in connection with a wool skin or shearling which is the skin of a sheep with the wool upon the outer face thereof.

In preparing such shearlings for dyeing, the skin is subjected to the usual preliminary steps of tanning, degreasing, bleaching and staking. The best results from the present process are secured with skins which have wool of considerable length and uniform character, and are whitest in color. A skin having been selected for these characteristics,

it is first carded to break out the tufts of the wool and is then clipped to a uniform length of hair, commonly one-half to threequarters of an inch. The-clipped skin is then laid flat onthe table wool side up and melted tallow or wax applied at random to the surface of the wool.

Two methods of applying the molten tallow or wax have been successfully employed. One consists in dipping a stiff bristle brush Application filed April 4., 1928. Serial No. 267,481.

into the melted tallow or Wax and shaking it lightly over the skin. 'Another methodis to use a wool skin swab which is first dipped in the melted tallow or wax and then rubbed l/Vith either method the tallow or wax is applied without any attempt to secure uniform application, but rather the contrary. As a result, some portions of the wool willbe well covered with the tallow or wax while other portions will be practically free, and all in an irregular and non-uniform manner. Where tallow is used, and at present this is the preferred material, a grade is selected having a comparatively high melting point. In practice it has been found that tallow having a melting point in the neighborhood of 110 F. is satisfactory, and if this be raised to a temperature of 120 it has opportunity to penetrate sufficiently deep into the body of the wool to coat or cover the outer por-' tion of the length of the hairs before the tallow cools and hardens. If too high a temperature is employed for the molten tallow, say 130 or higher, there is danger of the tallow penetrating to the skin or leather and being absorbed by the latter, forming a discoloration or spot.

After the application of the tallow to the placed in a mordant of usual composition,

such as copperas, potassium bichrornate, or copper sulphate, and is left there for-about six hours. To avoid any possibility of softening of the tallow the mordant is kept at a temperature not exceeding 70 or 75 F.

The skin is next set out to dry on a horse or other convenient support for perhaps a couple of hours, and is then placed in the dyeing bath. This'is contained in the usual tank with rotating paddle-wheel. To avoid the breaking and dislodging of the tallow from the wool hairs, thepaddle must be run very slowly, and preferably intermittently, say one revolution every minute or two. Any

' suitable dye may be employed, a developed dye or an oxidation dye having been found satisfactory in carrying out this process. To avoid softening of the tallow the dyeing solution must be kept at a relatively low temperature. lVith tallow having a melting oint of approximately 110 F. such as has been described, the dyeing temperature preferably should not exceed 75.

After about an hours treatment in the dye bath with the intermittent paddling,the skin is removed and washed for several minutes in clear water at a temperature of 105 to 110 to soften the tallow. The skin is then placed in a scrubbing machine, where the wool is worked by a rotating dull blade, at the same time being subjectedto clear water at about 115.

From the scrubbing machine the skin is transferred to a table where the operator thoroughly rubs in by hand a soft potash soap and then returns the skin to the scrubbing machine for final scrubbing and washing, after which the skins are hung up to dry or tacked on boards.

After the skins are dried they are slight 1y dampened and passed through the arm staker and breaker wheel to smooth out the leather and to loosen the hairs. The skins are next rotated in a drying-drum with sand and sawdust to remove any surplus tallow and color.-

If a more or less tufted appearance is desired, this completes the treatment, but if, on the other hand, a uniform, smooth, and velvety material is desired, the wool will be first combed and then clipped to the desired length.

Duringthe dyeing operation only those portions of the hair which are uncovered and unprotected by the tallow will be exposed to the action of the dye and will be changed in color, and as the tallow is applied in a hap hazard manner, both as to location and amount, the result will be that some portions of the wool will be dyed while others will re tain more or less completely their original natural whiteness, giving a surface of mottled or variegated appearance.

Furthermore, since the tallow as it is applied penetrates only part way to the leather or skin, the base or inner portions of the hairs will be exposed to the dye and will therefore be changed in color, so that where the undyed or natural color surface portions are parted or opened a pleasing contrast will be produced by these dyed portions beneath.

By varying the manner of application and the amount of tallow applied, different effects may be produced. For example, the sprinkhng method with its penetration of tallow dee er into the body of the wool gives a greater epth of natural color and a lesser showing of the dyed inner portions when the wool is pa ted. or opened.

While the present invention has been described in connection with wool skins or shearlings, it is not to be understood as limited thereto but on the contrary is applicable to other kinds of fur-bearing skins and analogous materials. Where, therefore, reference is made in the claims to shearlings, this term is to be understood as including various other kinds of fur-bearing skins and analogous material.

Nor is the present invention limited to the use of tallow or wax for protecting the hairs from the action of the dye, except Where so specified in the claims, as other materials may be employed which are suitable for that purose.

Nor does the present invention contemplate necesarily the method of application or removal of such material, whether involving the use of heat or not, except where so expressly defined in theclaims.

\Vhere in the claims reference is made to undyed portions of the material, this is to be taken not as specifically limiting the claims to the natural, untreated hairs, but merely to define these portions which through the protection of the coating have been unaffected by the action of the dye which has dyed the remaining portions, irrespective of whether such undyed portions, so-called, may have been treated or even dyed in some earlier process or dyeing operation.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. The method of dyeing shearlings and furs which consists in applying to the outer portions of the hairs a protective coating, leaving the inner portions of such hairs uncoated, subjecting the hairs to the action of the dye to dye the inner portions of the hairs, and subsequently removing the protective coating from the outer portions of the hairs.

2. The method of dyeing shearlings and furs which consists in applying to the outer portions of the hairs a material while in a fluid condition, permitting the material to solidify to form protective coatings for such outer portions leaving the inner portions unprotected, treating the hairs to the action of a dye without imparting the protective coating', and finally removing the coating.

3. The method of dyeing shearlings and furs'which consists in applying to the outer portions of the hairs a material while the same is rendered fluid by heat, permitting the material to solidify by cooling to form protective coatings for the outerportions of the hairs leaving the inner portions unprotected, subjecting both inner and outer portions of the hairs to the action of a dye at a sufiiciently low temperature to maintain the protective coatings effective, and finally applying a heated fluid to remove the coatings.

4 The method of dyeing shearlings and furs which consists in applying to-the outer portions of the hairs molten tallow, permitting the same to cool to form protective coatings for such outer portions leaving the inner portions unprotected, immersing the shearlings in a dye solution to dye the unprotected portions of the hairs, the dye solution being maintained at a temperature below the melting point of the tallow, and finally applying soap and water at a temperature above the melting point of the tallow to remove the latter.

5. The method of dyeing shearlings and furs which consists in applying a protecting coating to the outer portions of the hairs, subjecting the shearlin to the action of a dye, paddling the shearling slowly to avoid damaging the protective coating, and finally removing the protective coating.

6. The method of dyeing shearlings and furs which consists in applying to the outer portions only of the hairs of separated areas a protective coating, leaving unprotected the inner portions of such hairs and the entire length of the hairs of the intermediate areas, subjecting the hairs to the action of a dye to color-the inner portions only of the hairs in the separated areas and the entire length of the hairs in the intermediate areas, and finally removing the protective coatings from the hairs.

,7. The method of dyeing shearlings and furs which consists in applying to the outer portions of the hairs molten tallow at a temperature of approximately 120 F., the tallow having a melting point of approximately 110,permitting the tallow to cool and harden on the hairs, subjecting the hairs to the action of the mordant and dye at temperatures not exceeding approximately 75, and finally removing the tallow by the use of soap and hot water. v

8. The method of treating shearlings and furs which consists in applying a protective coating to portions of the hair surface leaving other portions uncoated, subjecting the hairs to the action of a dyeing fluid ineffective with respect to the protective coating,and finally removing the coating.

9. A dyed shearling or fur having a portion of the hairs dyed throughout their-length, and

another portion of the hairs dyed only at their inner or deeper portions adjacent the skin.

10. A dyed shearling or fur having the inner portions of all the hairs uniformly dyed and the outer portions non-uniformly dyed.

11. A dyed shearling or fur having dyed and undyed surface portions indeterminately arranged, the hairs which are undyed at the surface being dyed at their deeper portion adjacent their base.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN G. SHOEMAKER.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,754,287. Granted April 15, 1930, to

JOHN G. SHOEMAKER.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring'correction as follows: Page 2, line 115, claim 2, for the word "imparting" read "impairing"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 13th day of May, A. D. 1930.

p M. J. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

CERTIFICATE OF CORREGTIQN.

Patent No. 1,754,287. Granted April 15, 1930, to

JOHN G. SHOEMAKER.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 115, claim 2, for the word "imparting" read "impairing"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 13th day of May, A. D. 1930.

M. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

